Dear Wakefield MAG member,
Welcome to the Wakefield MAG e-newsletter. If you can’t attend our Wednesday meetings regularly, it’s the next best thing to keep you up to date with what we are up to.
CONTENTS
1) Treasure Hunt Report
2) Ganton Gathering Report
3) VJMCC Show
4) Yorkshire Pudding Rally Report
5) Saferider Survey
6) Forthcoming Events
7) Website
Seventeen participants took part in the 4th Annual Wakefield MAG Treasure Hunt, held on Sunday 13th July 2008. As per last year, members of Wakefield MAG's Social Committee organised the route & question packs, and acted as event control, counting us all out and, all back in again. A huge thanks to Sue, Alan & Kelly (and Ouzo the Dog), who spent all day looking after us all.
The morning arrived with the sun just trying to break out, when we all turned up at Stork Lodge Tea Rooms, Thornes Park, off Thornes Road, Wakefield, ready for the Treasure Hunt. The participants split themselves up into five teams and all signed in for 09:50 and were given their clues/instructions. Each group stood discussing where they were going to go first, with some asking: “Do they have a museum in Wakefield ?”. Good Luck mused the Social Committee .... this may take some time !!!
The teams all set off at 10:00 and it was time for the Social Committee to relax for a while and wonder how long it would be before they all got lost. This year's clues took the participants to Wakefield Museum (on Wood Street opposite the police station if you were wondering), Rothwell Church (narrowly missing the wedding party), Garforth Holiday Inn's Leisure Suite, RSPB reserve at Fairburn Ings, The Jungle (Castleford Tigers ground), Pontefract Racecourse, Ackworth School, Hemsworth Water Park, Nostel Priory, and back to base.
The first team was back after 2 hours and 10 minutes but didn't get all the questions right. Five minutes later the next team returned to base with all the correct answers. By 13:00, all teams had returned and all the scores counted. First and Second places were sorted but we had a tie for Third place between the remaining three teams. The tie break questions failed to separate the teams so it's a good job there was a back-up question. The final rankings were:
Our prizes this year were Gold, Silver and Bronze 'Muttley' medals ( for 1st, 2nd & 3rd places respectively) and a door plaque (from the Pound Shop, naturally), for last place.
A brilliant day out was had by all, and for once, it didn't rain. We will be holding another Treasure Hunt next year (with an exciting new format !!), so hope you will be able to make it
The 1st Ganton Gathering was Yorkshire MAGs third wet event of this year. Despite the rain, The Ganton Gathering went very well, with no trouble to speak off, just a power problem on Friday night, but the power people were struggling with the rain so we can't complain too much. The organisers have had some great feed back from people who have just enjoyed a small chilled rally of 800 people.
Rally goers started to roll in around lunchtime on Friday and the site soon filled up with the pre-books and around 200 paid on the gate. The Friday night was a laid back evening with the bands playing to an appreciative but chatting audience. After some use of Diesel and a few prayers by East Yorkshire MAG's Ron Gillard, he got the bonfire up and running which burned through the night to what looked like a glorious Saturday.
This was when the organisers expected the mass exodus to the coast or the North Yorkshire Moors, so they did not think they would need entertainment on the afternoon. How wrong they were, the showers where heavy and prolonged to quote the weather lady, so 90% of the customers stayed put and drank in the bar.
Looking around at about 10PM, a lot of people were well pi**ed as they had been drinking for a good 8 hours by then. By the time the organisers had shut the marquee and had a quick tidy up they went round the fire to find about half a dozen people chatting away while the rest where out for the count (having peaked too early !!!).
Sunday was a good day as far as the rain stopped and everyone managed to get packed up and home in the dry. The First Ganton Gathering, in aid of the MAG foundation, can be judged to have been a huge success, despite the somewhat inclement weather.
Only three of Wakefield MAG's meeting 'regulars' made the Ganton Gathering - Jack, John & Jill (real names have not been used to protect the innocent and to save embarrassing the guilty !!). Read Jack's amusing exploits in the Event Report section on this website.
Eight Wakefield MAG members manned the MAG Stand at the VJMCC Show at Lotherton Hall on Sunday 27th July. This was our third consecutive attendance at the show, and as in previous years, we were rewarded with a prime spot on the site, right next door to the VJMCC stand and in front of the bike show. The Yorkshire MAG stand & logos will be very prominent in the many bike show photos that were taken, as that was held right in front of our stand. The MAG stand looked very professional and we had a good selection of leaflets, literature, Road Magazines & products for sale. Lots of people visited the stand, showed a lot of interest in MAG & took literature.
Last year we took Three MAG memberships, this year we took Ten !! We also made £34 for the branch funds from product sales and have taken orders for more T Shirts. The Organisers were very pleased to have us in attendance and let us have our stand space for free, whereas other exhibitors and traders had to pay for theirs. The VJMCC are also interested in a joint Charity fund raising exercise with Yorkshire MAG, so more news on that as and when it happens.
OVERALL - excellent result, it's all about raising MAG's profile and it certainly achieved its objective!!!!! Well worth attending and we will be at next years show.
4) Yorkshire Pudding Rally Report
The 5th Yorkshire Pudding Rally was held on 1st - 3rd August, at the new site (Hesley Wood Scout Camp, Chapeltown, North Sheffield). The new site proved to be as popular as we could have hoped for. Surrounded by woodland and gently sloping away, the whole site could be gazed upon whilst chewing on a burger or slurping a pint of whatever. The new site reminded quite a few of the old Farmyard valley site – long, narrow and picturesque. And, perhaps the most unbelievable thing of all, the weather held good for the first of Yorkshire MAG's events this year (at least during the weekend itself, the set-up was an entirely different matter). It really was flip-flops instead of wellies for a change. PURE BELTER!
Everything went to plan, everything ran smoothly and everyone had a fantastic time! The bands rocked, the beer flowed and the custom show saw a high standard of beautiful bikes. It was judged by Stez (of Biker Build Off fame) and his lad Curtis, for whom we had an appeal for at this years Farmyard Party to raise money for sterilizing equipment at Sheffield hospital. Yorkshire MAG customers have raised over £2,500 this season for this cause.
The only small niggle seemed to be the noise of the M1 (although many couldn't differentiate between the background drone of distant traffic and the dull ache of a self-inflicted hangover).
Over twenty Wakefield MAG members attended this years YPR, and fourteen of those marshalled the event. A huge thanks go to all our 'heroes' as these events simply couldn't run without our volunteer marshals.
All in all, it was a cracking rally and should have raised a fair bit for the MAG Fighting Fund. Roll on the next one !!!
MAG is urging all riders to respond to the threat of bad technology from Europe.
SAFERIDER, an international consortium of new technology designers brought together by the European Commission, is developing new devices capable of informing, or limiting, motorcyclists’ control over their bikes.
The spectre of dangerous, destabilising and distracting devices being fitted to your next bike is not one that riders take lightly. There is a very real risk that politicians and policy makers will mistakenly think fitting car-safety devices to bikes will improve road safety, when the opposite could be the result.
The Motorcycle Action Group is urging all riders to act now so that future bikes escape inappropriate technology. "We are at a crucial stage in the development of these devices..." said MAG Campaigns Manager, David Short "but we have a golden opportunity to tell the designers what will work for us or against us."
FEMA, the European organisation comprising national riders groups across the continent, has argued its way into the expert group to defend motorcyclists' interests and set-up an on-line survey so that riders themselves can tell the designers which technologies are a dead-end.
MAG and the other FEMA member organisations are utterly opposed to the threat of removing control from the rider and we have a seat at the table where we can explain why some of these technologies would work against our safety.
For your chance to tell the international group of technology designers what you think they should work on, and what to avoid, complete the on-line survey at: www.saferider-eu.org/your_opinion.html
The survey will be open until the end of August.
Forthcoming events for August and beyond:
Friday 15th August - BIRT BBQ
Following our fund-raising efforts for the Brain Injuries Rehabilitation Trust (BIRT) earlier this year, we have been invited to a Summer BBQ on Friday 15th August, starting at 7:00pm, at Daniel Yorath House in Garforth, as a thank you. We are specifically invited to attend on our bikes so we will be leaving the Grey Horse at 06:30 PM, for a mass ride-in to DYH. Here's hoping the weather holds out as Summer BBQ's in the UK always seem to attract the rain (and wind so you can't light the BBQ!!!)
Friday 5th - Sunday 7th September - NE MAG's Stormin' The Castle
The North East's Premier Motorcycle Rally, this year at a new site alongside the A688 at Streatlam, between Staindrop and Barnard Castle. Pre-Book Tickets £22; On The Gate £30 (subject to availability & only available to those arriving on a bike or trike).
Saturday 6th - Sunday 7th September - Headless in Halifax Rally
The 2nd Headless in Halifax Rally, run by Halifax MAG. The site is at the Causeway Foot Inn, Causeway Foot, Ogden,Halifax, (A629) and tickets are £5.
Saturday 13th September - A Bit of a Do!
York MAG One Nighter at the Bumper Castle, Clifton Moor, York. Live Band, DJ, Raffles, Beer & more beer! 1pm licence. Limited Camping available (prebook only).
Friday 19th - Sunday 21st September - East Yorkshire MAG's Spat Out of Hull
East Yorkshire MAG's exclusive 2 night party with Bonfire, Comedians, 4 Live Bands, Excellent food and much more. Dean Park Sports Club, Beverley Rd, Dunswell, HU6 0AA. Tickets £10. Strict 500 limit.
Keep an eye on this website for new content. To be added shortly will be two new sections detailing Members Adventures and a My Bike profile (similar to the one that appears in the Road). If anyone has any biking adventure stories to tell, or feels they could pen a feature on their bike(s), let me know and we'll put it on the website. Also coming soon will be the About Us section, detailing all you ever wanted to know about Wakefield MAG (but were afraid to ask).
That's all for this month and I hope to see you all soon.
Ride Safe
Steve Travis
Chairman
Wakefield MAG
0772 078 4734
Wakefield MAG meet at the Grey Horse, Kirkgate, Wakefield at 8:30pm every Wednesday. New (and Old) faces are always welcome.